The solution will not come only through debate. There should be a law in the constitution that no state or state government can make its changes on the things used or considered nationally. Doing so should be considered treason, and the person responsible should be removed from his post. The controversy over the rupee (₹) symbol is not limited to language and cultural identity, but a big political game is also visible behind it. Regional parties, especially the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, are not only trying to strengthen Tamil identity by raising this issue but are also taking forward their traditional stand against the language policy of the central government and Hindi dominance.
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam has also been vocal in opposing the imposition of Hindi and protecting the identity of the Tamil language. Now Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam has raised objections regarding the rupee symbol (₹). The party says that this symbol does not give a proper place to Indian culture and especially South Indian identity. Is the objection of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and some other regional parties regarding the symbol of Indian currency (₹) really a language-related dispute, or is it just a political strategy? There are many aspects to this question. Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and some other South Indian parties argue that the rupee symbol is inspired by the Devanagari letter “र,” which gives priority to Hindi and ignores other Indian languages. However, Uday Kumar Dharani (IIT Guwahati), who designed this symbol, said that its design is inspired by both Devanagari “र” and Roman “R,” so that a mixture of Indian and global identity can be shown. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam has long been against the imposition of Hindi. In 1965, there were big movements in Tamil Nadu against the proposal to make Hindi the national language. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam has previously opposed the NEET exam, the new education policy, and Hindi preference in government jobs. Now the controversy over the rupee symbol is an extension of the same agenda of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.
Hindi influence in the rupee symbol—Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam believes that the ₹ symbol is inspired by the Devanagari script letter “र” (रुप), giving priority to Hindi while neglecting other Indian languages. Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and some other organizations in Tamil Nadu argue that the rupee symbol is inspired by the Devanagari script letter “र” (रुप), giving priority to Hindi and neglecting other Indian languages, especially the Dravidian languages (Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam). They believe that the currency symbol should represent all Indian languages equally. There is already a strong sentiment in the South Indian states against the imposition of Hindi, and this controversy can be seen as an extension of that. The party argues that the Indian currency symbol should represent all languages and cultures equally. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and other Tamil organizations believe that South Indian languages, including Tamil, do not get the recognition they deserve at the central level.
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and other Tamil Nadu parties have been protesting against the imposition of Hindi several times. The party has consistently advocated that the central government should give equal importance to all Indian languages rather than promoting any one language (especially Hindi). The politics of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam has revolved around Tamil identity and opposition to the “Hindi dominance” of the Centre. The issue began with anti-Hindi movements in the 1960s and continues to this day. The debate also arose when the ₹ symbol was adopted in 2010. The revival of the issue by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam may be a political strategy to strengthen its position on Tamil identity and mobilize the public against the language policies of the central government.
Although some of the objections of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam may be justified, it would not be right to consider it entirely a language issue. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam raises such issues to strengthen its position against the policies of the Center and to sharpen its regional politics. This controversy may also be a way to maintain the hold of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in Tamil Nadu politics and to oppose the “Hindi-Hindu” agenda of the BJP. This opposition of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam is mainly a part of its Tamil identity politics. The party keeps raising such issues to strengthen regional identity in Tamil Nadu and to criticize the policies of the central government. The ₹ symbol is not a symbol of any one language, but it has been designed keeping in mind Indian culture and international standards. This symbol has already been accepted all over the country, so there is no practical need to change it now. Raising this issue seems more like a well-planned political strategy than a real problem.
For the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and other regional parties, this controversy is a political opportunity to capitalize on Tamil identity and anti-Hindi sentiments. By raising this issue, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam is accusing the central government, especially the BJP, of imposing Hindi supremacy. This raises the issue of South India versus North India, which gives more support to the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in Tamil Nadu. It also gives the opposition alliance another weapon against the BJP. In states like Tamil Nadu, the issue of regional identity and language has a great impact on elections. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam can capitalize on this as a major issue for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and the 2026 assembly elections. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam wants to send a message to its core vote base that it is protecting Tamil identity and rights. Through this controversy, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam can try to increase its identity and influence in other states of South India (Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana), because in these states too there is opposition to the imposition of Hindi. There is no need to change the symbol of the rupee because it is already internationally recognized and reflects the diversity of India. This issue seems to be more a part of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s anti-Centre politics and strategy to strengthen its hold in Tamil Nadu.
If we look at it purely from a design point of view, the ₹ symbol is actually a mixture of the Devanagari “र” and the Roman “R.” It is an attempt to combine both English and Indian identity. It would not be right to say that it has been made only for Hindi. The word “rupee” exists in many Indian languages, and the design of ₹ matches all of them. Do you think this opposition to the ₹ symbol is justified, or is it just a political strategy? The controversy over the ₹ symbol seems to be more a part of political strategy than language. This symbol of the Indian currency is not limited to any one language, but it has become a good opportunity for regional parties to capitalize on anti-Centre sentiments.
